Galleri Urbane Dallas Hosts Kirk Ke Wang Solo Show

Galleri Urbane is pleased to welcome international artist Kirk Ke Wang for his first exhibit in Dallas, for his solo show Shadows. Wang works in the medium of painting, sculpture, video, photography, and mixed media. The exhibit Shadows will feature paintings, sculpture, and mixed media work.

Wang uses art as a vehicle to examine the changing social structures and our positions in them. Of his work he says, “My art is about searching for various lenses to capture my understanding of the world, sharp or blurry, by deconstructing its intricacy to the fundamentals, as primary colors, pixels, binary or DNA codes.” In his most recent work Wang explores the Eastern and Western heritages he is caught between. The weightless identity he is allowed opens his work up for the discussion of the illusion of influence between cultures, by using images of animals and toys.The resulting large works allow Wang and his audience to throw themselves into the immense world he creates. The audience becomes weightless. Lost in the visual experience they are upended and broken by pixilated figures, juxtaposed by hyperrealistic plastic perfection. This brings to light that the world is not only a natural phenomenon, but also a social construct.

Toy Maker by Kirk Ke Wang

Born in Shanghai, China, Wang has had a presence in the United States since 1986, when moved to Tampa, Florida. At the age of 16, he entered the Nanjing Normal University in China for his BFA and MFA. In 1984, at the age of 23, Wang won the bronze medal for a major national art competition in China, the“6th National Exhibition of Fine Art.” As a result of this award, Wang was granted the opportunity to study in the United States, and in 1986 he entered the University of South Florida as an exchange scholar and went on to receive an additional MFA.

Wang has exhibited his art works nationally and internationally, and his works have been collected by museums, galleries, and private collectors in the United States and Asian, including the National Museum of Art in Beijing, China. Wang has served as a Professor of Visual Arts at Eckerd College since 1993. He has received numerous grants and awards from many institutions including: The Freeman Foundation, Ford Foundation, National Asian Network, Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowments for the Arts. Today Wang continues to teach at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, while maintaining studios in Tampa, Florida and Shanghai, China. He has also been serving as an international curator, selecting works for contemporary art exhibits for museums and art festivals in China.

Galleri Urbane owner and director Ree Willaford was introduced to Kirk Ke Wang’s work through fellow Galleri Urbane artist Theo Wujcik, and she asked him to join the gallery in the Fall of 2012. The opening reception for “Shadows” will be on February 23rd from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Galleri Urbane, established in 1999, represents emerging and established artists living in the United States with a primary focus on artists whose work reflects current art movements, both nationally and internationally. These artists are represented in museums as well as in public and private collections throughout the United States and abroad.

The artists work in a variety of media including; painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography, and conceptual. Amongst the ranks are the artists Michael Berman, Theo Wujcik, Kate Carr, Jessica Drenk, and Marcus Jansen, among others.

Galleri Urbane Dallas

Galleri Urbane Dallas is located at 2277 Monitor Street, Dallas, Texas. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. or by appointment. For more information contact the gallery at 432.386.0590 or visit www.galleriurbane.com.

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